Edamame Dip

Edamame (eh-dah-MAH-may) are nothing more than fresh soy beans. Typically cooked in heavily salted water, they are usually found in the shell served at Japanese restaurants. Having first encountered them in bars when I lived in Japan, I’ve always thought of them as the Japanese version of a beer nut—they’re salty and go great with beer. They’ve recently become more popular in the states and you can usually easily find them frozen, both shelled and shell-on. They are rather tasty beans, so I thought we would make a simple bean dip with them. So good! This dip includes cilantro, lime juice, yogurt, and a whole avocado. Also just a little bit of Tabasco and dark sesame oil for some sparkle.

Prep:10 minutes

Cook:10 minutes

Yield:Makes about 2 cups.

Ingredients

12 to 16 ounces shelled edamame, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup, packed, roughly chopped fresh cilantro, including stems

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, roughly chopped

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup lime or lemon juice

1-2 teaspoons salt

5 shakes of Tabasco (less or more to taste)

3 drops of dark sesame oil (more to taste)

Method

1 Bring 2 quarts of well salted water (2 Tbsp salt) to a boil. Add the shelled edamame. Return to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, or until cooked through and tender. Drain with cold water.

2 Place drained cooked edamame in a food processor. Pulse several times. Add the chopped cilantro. Pulse again. Add the remaining ingredients, and pulse until well puréed. Add more water if you want a smoother consistency. Adjust seasonings (salt, Tabasco, lime, sesame oil).